When turning off the gas, you should first ensure that all gas appliances and pilot lights are switched off. Next you need to turn off the safety shut off valve, which is normally located within your gas meter box, outside the house. The valve is off when it is at right angles to the pipe.
To turn the gas back on, simply return the safety shut off valve to its original position, which is in line with the pipe.
If you have any difficulty reaching or turning the valve, you should contact Bord Gáis Networks on 1800 200 694.
If undertaking alterations to your home which may affect the safety or efficiency of your gas installation, get the advice of a competent Registered Gas Technician. A list of Registered Gas Technicians in your area is available on the Register of Gas Installers of Ireland .
Never block a ventilator which is there to ensure a safe supply of air.
Gas boilers and appliances should be installed in accordance with Irish Standard 813: 2002 'Domestic Gas Installations', by a competent Registered Gas Technician.
Use appliances only for the purpose for which they were designed, i.e. do not use a cooker to heat a room.
Never use any gas appliance if you suspect it might be faulty. Have it checked.
Carbon Monoxide is highly dangerous. It is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas that can cause illness and even death. Carbon Monoxide can be produced by the burning of fossil fuels, including by natural gas appliances, where there is poor ventilation and/or where the appliance is poorly installed, badly maintained or damaged.
For possible tell-tale signs of faulty equipment and for more information on carbon monoxide safety, please see www.carbonmonoxide.ie.
A study by the U.S. Department of Energy concluded that the world's winds could theoretically supply the equivalent of 5,800 quadrillion BTUs (quads) of energy each year. This is more than 15 times the current world energy demand. (A quad is equal to about 172 million barrels of oil or 45 million tonnes of coal).
75% of mankind's energy consumption comes from fossil fuels. These fuels are finite and will deplete.
When the wind is not blowing, the turbines cannot generate electricity. When this happens other energy sources take over and provide electricity to the National Grid. However, there is direct correlation between wind speed and energy consumption i.e. in the winter, the winds are stronger and energy consumption is up and in the summer wind capacity is lower and consumption is lower. Also, there is more wind during the daylight hours than at night reflecting demand.
A wind turbine is a single machine for generating energy from the wind whereas a Wind Farm is the name given to two or more of these wind turbines, which produce electricity to feed into the national grid.
Wind Power ensures that money spent on electricity is kept in Ireland. It creates wind industry related jobs and attracts manufacturers of wind turbine components. Farmers who own the land on which wind farms are built received increased income whilst still being able to use 95% of their land for traditional farming.
Wind is a sustainable energy source, which is safe, clean, cheap and more importantly free of pollution. Every unit of electricity generated by a wind farm displaces a unit, which would otherwise be produced by conventional sources e.g. fossil fuels.
An m/s or meter per second equals 2.24 miles per hour.
Every year humans emit approximately 26 billion tonnes of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere, which equates to 48,000 tonnes every minute.
Sustainable energy is the term given to an energy supply that will never deplete.
Global Warming is the damaging effect that burning fossil fuels has on the environment for example, experiencing higher winter rainfall with more severe flooding, lower summer rainfall and water shortage, rising sea levels, accelerated coastal erosion, loss of bogland and threats to agriculture due to additional pests and diseases.
Renewable Energy is the term given to energy produced from natural resources for example wind, sun or biomass (trees and plant substance), which are deemed inexhaustible whereas fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) will eventually run out.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This group put in place policies and measures to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2010.
A senior botanist is engaged to monitor each chosen site and confirm that a wind farm does not have any adverse effects on flora on the proposed site or its' environment. Sites are also carefully assessed in consultation with the National Parks & Wildlife Service, relevant Regional Fishery Boards and IWC Bird Watch Ireland. Each body will assess and confirm that the sites are "not near or inline with any migrating flight path and will not have any adverse effect on any other wild life in the area".
Energia carries out research, as part of their Environmental Impact Statement, into the possible effects of a wind farm on the surrounding water, rock formation, soil and bogs to ensure that the turbines will have no detrimental effects on any of the aforementioned.
The wind turbines generate electricity when the wind reaches approximately 4-5 meters/second (approximately 9mph) and shut down when the wind reaches a gale force 25m/s (approximately 56mph) to prevent damage to the turbines.
A modern turbine lasts up to 20 years. When the turbine outlives its' useful life, it can be removed, the site restored and most of the turbines can be recycled.